Afraid of You: The Existential Triad in BioShock Infinite

…
Meditations

…

by Jesse Miksic

@Miksimum

…

…

…

“One of the strengths of BioShock Infinite, acknowledged less often thanits expansive and detailed historical-revisionist steampunk setting, isthe way its narrative is punctuated. The extended forays down cobblestonestreets – and the intermittent murderous rampages – are connective tissue,linking a series of scenes that are genuinely, jarringly emotional. Therelationship between Booker, Elizabeth and Zachary Comstock sets the stagefor some truly evocative dramatic turns, perhaps more of them – andhandled with a more dynamic sensibility – than in any other game inmemory, including narrative-heavy games like Japanese role-playing games(JRPGs).

These moments are thematically woven together, and many of them are linkedto the original BioShock, albeit loosely. Before I dive into thepsychological and existential dimensions of BioShock Infinite, I want toacknowledge some of these scenes, and unpack their significance.

Seksy Geeks Leaderboard

A leaderboard of all users on the site who have earnt karma points. The table is sorted descendingly by the amount of karma points that the users have, and also shows the user’s name and karma points total.